@Ralph95 - sorry, I am reading my emails backwards and am responding here that way too! Our backsplash is a standard "in house" subway from KG Tile in Timonium, MD. I was sort of against spending tons of $$ on a subway as I wanted a traditional look and knew I didn't have to break the bank to do it. I went with KG's version vs. Home Depot's / Lowes' as for me it was a slight bit brighter white that seemed to match my cabinets better and it was a bit glossier...which I thought would help bring some life to the white. They also carried end pieces (bullnosed on both sides and regular subway bull noses) vs the bull nose ones at HD/Lowes which reminded me of my bathroom upstairs (where we also did subways). (Hd & Lowes have thinner pieces vs the full sized subway tile with rounded edges that KG had and we needed a double bullnosed corner piece) The sink is an Artisan. It's what the soapstone fabricator sold and we just went with that. It's their largest double bowl - AR3521. We had a 20 gage sink before and although I never noticed a tinny sound to it, I can definitely tell the difference with this. The one negtive with this sink is that the "catcher" for food in the large bowl (we have a disposal in the small bowl) sits low so it's hard to get your fingers into the well to pick out food that may have slipped by the strainer. I don't know if this can be adjusted. You can order online, amazon, etc. www.artisanstyles.com The faucet is a Moen and it was purchased very quickly when my husband and I stopped at home depot one evening. A faucet was not that important to us and we knew we didn't want to drop tons of $$ on it which you can do on some...I will try to find the name of it....but we both like it alot, the soap dispenser works well with it and it doesn't get dirty or fingerprinty!! (a big bonus) The cabinet hardware is from Restoration Hardware. I went to the Columbia, MD store to see it all in person, and then ordered what they didn't have in stock on line in the store so that there was no shipping. We chose the Hanson knobs and the Gilmore pulls...both in the polished nickel. Our recessed lights are just cfl bulbs...they take a while to ligth up but we like them once they are on!! I'd love to see pics of your progress! Exciting times!!

I would lower the art so the bottom is about 6" above the top of the console and center it over the console. Then flank it with the lamps evenly spaced. I would also add curtains to the dining area as suggested and a pretty pottery bowl to the table for color. You could also add some chair pads. I would also suggest a larger lamp for the end table by the sofa and a piece of art hung on that wall. The art on the other end of the sofa should be lowered or replaced with a smaller piece that better fits the wall space. Since you already have carpeting, I would eliminate the area rug altogether. Hope this helps!

Just don't crowd too much into the wall space. I would measure and plan to leave 25% of the wall area on each end empty as a "frame" for the grouping. You can go with a loose,mixed arrangement too if you don't have a set of identically framed pieces.

Yet another reason not to build homes with two story foyers & entryways. I agree less is more. I'd eliminate the blinds on the top window. How do you even manage the controls for opening or closing them & the hanging cords add to the busy look. I like the idea of a roman shade on both the door & window next to it. The thing about roman shades is that they look better when they are rolled up or partially up. Rolled completely down, they can often look like a sheet covering the window. Another issue, if this is your front entrance, you might want the shades always down for privacy or light control. I suggest either roman shades that have some texture so they don't look flat when down OR a honeycomb shade that allows for top down/bottom up. Get rid of all those small items on the fireplace mantle. You will need something much grander there than that small mirror. I suggest colorful art.